THE BREAKERS PALM BEACH, OCEAN COURSE
One South County Road, Palm Beach; 888-273-2537, thebreakers.com. Yardage: 6,167. Par: 70. Slope: 127. Architects: Alexander Findlay, 1897; redesigned by Brian Silva, 2000. Greens Fees: $95-$160.
T&L Golf Rating: *** 1/2
If you had to pick a single perspective that said "resort golf, Palm Beach style," it would have to be a view of the Ocean course with The Breakers and its Italian Renaissance-inspired facade in the background. Reputed to be Florida's first eighteen-hole layout, the course's eighty-six-acre plot obviously prefigured advances in club and ball technology. But Silva's recently completed redesign—which included random fairway bunkering, copious mounding to add much-needed texture, crowned greens with closely cut "surrounds" and recessed greenside bunkers—combined with the near-constant breeze off the nearby shore make for an entertaining resort outing regardless of its 6,167-yard length. When the need to swing away does strike, there is Breakers West, a fifteen-minute ride away on the resort's shuttle.
DELRAY BEACH GOLF CLUB
2200 Highland Avenue, Delray Beach; 561-243-7380, affordablegolf.com. Yardage: 6,907. Par: 72. Slope: 126. Architect: Donald Ross, 1923. Greens Fees: $25-$54.
T&L Golf Rating: *** 1/2
If you can't talk your way on to Seminole—and you probably can't— you needn't miss your dose of Donald Ross golf when in Palm Beach County. This is understandably a local favorite—an affordable layout with the thoughtfulness and quality characteristics of virtually all Ross designs, beginning with the classic random bunkering.
CYPRESS CREEK COUNTRY CLUB
9400 Military Trail, Boynton Beach; 561-732-4202. Yardage: 6,811. Par: 72. Slope: 125. Architect: Robert von Hagge, 1963. Greens Fees: $35-$60.
T&L Golf Rating: ***
Based in Spring, Texas, von Hagge and his colleagues—with designs in Asia, South America, Mexico and the Caribbean—have recently been known for their often-exotic work. This relatively early effort, by contrast, is best characterized as an example of traditional Florida design elements, especially copious sand and water hazards.
